Kerry tweak team for Armagh clash

After a complete revamp, or make that renaissance, of Kerry's style in reaction to defeat by Cork, manager Jack O'Connor has opted to slightly tweak the team charged with avenging the 2002 All-Ireland final defeat to Armagh when they face the Ulster champions at Croke Park on Saturday.

Former minor star Darren O'Sullivan has been sacrificed for Cromane's Seán O'Sullivan at wing forward. Otherwise, it is the same side that felled Longford, with Kieran Donaghy forced to live with "the new Bomber" tag on the biggest stage of all.

The only surprise is that last year's captain, Declan O'Sullivan, remains in reserve despite being a direct swap for Darren O'Sullivan just before half-time last Saturday.

Seán O'Sullivan was introduced on the hour mark, when the game was dead, for Paul Galvin but he did register a point.

Kerry selector Ger O'Keeffe dismissed the notion yesterday that this All-Ireland quarter-final represents a prime opportunity for the Kingdom to address the balance of power in Gaelic football. It's much more simple than that.

"It doesn't even feature in our thinking," he said. "Our only task is to make an All-Ireland semi-final to play Cork again."

Cork forward Fintan Goold is in contention to start Saturday's quarter-final against Donegal in Croke Park. The loss of Graham Canty to a cruciate ligament injury has forced manager Billy Morgan to make several positional changes, with Derek Kavanagh of Nemo Rangers moving to full back, Pierce O'Neill from centre forward to midfield, while David Niblock takes over on the 40.

But Niblock is struggling to be fit for Cork's quest to make a third All-Ireland semi-final in five years, so Goold is on standby.

Canty was injured in the closing stages of the Munster final replay victory over Kerry on July 15th. Anthony Lynch stepped in, but Morgan felt the physical attributes of Kavanagh, and Lynch's usefulness elsewhere, would be best suited to covering for the hugely influential Canty.

KERRY (SF v Armagh): D Murphy; M Ó Sé, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, S Moynihan, A O'Mahony; D Ó Sé, T Griffin; S O'Sullivan, E Brosnan, P Galvin; C Cooper, K Donaghy, MF Russell.

CORK (SF v Donegal): A Quirke; M Prout, D Kavanagh, K O'Connor; M Shields, G Spillane, A Lynch; N Murphy, P O'Neill; S O'Brien, D Niblock, K McMahon; J Masters, D O'Connor, J Hayes.